Best Long-Haul Airline

Long-haul flying is where the modern business traveller’s relationship with an airline is made or broken.

A fourteen-hour London–Singapore sector, a delayed Atlantic crossing, a misconnect at a hub the carrier doesn’t fully control, these are the moments that decide which airline ends up on the corporate travel policy and which one is replaced at the next GBTA-benchmarked RFP cycle.

The Best Long-Haul Airline award recognises the carrier setting the standard against those moments, operationally, commercially and editorially. It is the senior airline honour at the Travelling for Business Awards and it is judged on what corporate buyers, travel managers and TMCs actually measure: on-time performance, the consistency of the premium cabin across the fleet, network depth on the city pairs that matter, the value of the loyalty programme and the carrier’s behaviour when the schedule breaks.

Sustainability disclosure, particularly Sustainable Aviation Fuel uptake and emissions reporting against the IATA Net Zero framework, is increasingly part of the assessment.

Entries are open to network carriers, alliance partners and independent long-haul operators serving the UK, European and global corporate markets. Each entry is reviewed by the 2026 judging panel, which includes serving travel buyers, TMC leadership and senior editorial voices from Travelling for Business magazine. Carriers entering this category typically also enter Best Business Class Experience, Best Airline Lounge and Best Frequent-Flier Programme each judged independently.